Baby Shower

"Baby Shower" is the third episode of the fifth season of The Office. It was written by Aaron Shure and directed by Greg Daniels. It first aired October 16, 2008.

Synopsis

Dwight acts out the process of birth with a watermelon, as Michael wants to be prepared for Jan's baby. Dwight eventually goes into "labor" and drops the watermelon from his apron. The watermelon breaks on the floor, and Michael congratulates Dwight for his help.

The Party Planning Committee is planning Jan's baby shower, and Michael wants to know where his "golden shower" is, as Phyllis Lapin, the head of the committee, got a "golden" one for her wedding. The office prepares for Jan's arrival by collecting money for the cake (which Oscar deems pointless, as the baby isn't even near related to Michael). Angela makes a "guess whose baby picture" game for the shower, and she is angered when Andy unintentionally makes fun of her picture. Stanley reveals that he hates pregnant women in the office, as he suffers from several of their problems such as swollen ankles, constant hunger, varicose veins, and nipple chafing.

Jim and Pam feel awkward trying to communicate with each other throughout the day, with Pam telling the documentary crew that the two of them would be having an "off" day even if she were in Scranton, which she is not.

Jan arrives with her baby girl, Astrid, already born, much to everyone's surprise (although many of them show little care anyway). The shower ends up taking place anyway, and Michael tries pacify Jan by being cold to Holly (he even tells her that he plans on doing this to her and Ryan prior to the shower).

The present the office got for Jan ended up being a stroller, and as she already had a $1200 Orbit stroller, she did not need the spare. Dwight was greatly confused at this, as his bomb shelter cost that much, so he goes out to test the durability of the stroller as the shower continues. He straps a watermelon into the stroller and goes out to a dump-like area to throw the stroller into fences and off of small cliffs. He also ends up tying the stroller to the back of his car for his "bumper test."

Michael holds Astrid, only to find no connection, so he seeks advice from another "baby-daddy," Darryl. Darryl mocks him, as the baby isn't even Michael's. Holly and Jan get off to a rough start when Jan asks where Astrid is, and Holly fools around with her. After Jan retrieves her daughter from Angela and Andy's vegetable photo shoot, she leaves soon afterward, telling Michael not to date Holly. Michael hugs Holly when he goes back into the building and feels a connection he didn't feel with Astrid. He then asks her out on a date, which she accepts, visibly moved.

Jim and Pam call each other at the exact same time and leave each other messages that are extremely similar, hinting that perhaps they aren't as disjointed as this day has made them feel.

Deleted scenes

Michael reveals that Jan has allowed him to come up with names if she has a boy.
Michael and Dwight reveal the contents of the "go bag" Michael carries around in case he needs to rush to the hospital for the birth, as written out in "What To Expect" - coming from the 1986 edition, the contents are laughably out of date, though Dwight has added some items of his own.
Kevin and Phyllis pour orange juice into baby bottles for the shower - Meredith adds her own special ingredient, assuring them "it's for me".
Stanley wonders why all babies seem genetically predisposed to stare at him.
Jan reluctantly plays a pointless baby shower game. After she remarks how beautiful Jan looks (to which Jim mockingly states, "Wait'll you get to know her better"), Michael scolds Holly for talking during the party.
Holly talks with Toby (via speakerphone) about what it was like being the HR person.
Jan finds out that Kevin donated sperm at the same sperm bank she went to. While Kevin gleefully wonders if he might have "done it" with her, in a talking head interview, Jan considers her options if he really is the father: "Sue? ...icide?"
More of Dwight's "testing" the stroller bought for Jan, ending with Dwight admitting he is very impressed when it holds up.
Following a discussion regarding Astrid in the otherwise empty conference room, Jim insists that he has no intention of being Michael's connection with reality.
Kevin, Phyllis and Kelly wonder whether "she" should sleep on her stomach or back, but the camera zooms out to show not Astrid but a passed-out Meredith. In a talking head, Kelly says that, if she makes no mention of Meredith's clothes, there's no reason to bring up her drinking problem.
Jan breast-feeds Astrid in plain view of the office, as Kevin and Creed happily look on.

Trivia

The episode exploits actor Melora Hardin's real-life singing talent.
After the episode aired, participants in Dunder Mifflin Infinity were tasked with matching up each baby picture with the corresponding actor.
Writer Michael Schur's wife and son appear in the montage of Michael with babies, when Michael dances with two babies at once.^[1]

Amusing details

When Michael interrupts Phyllis's talking head interview, Angela watches with satisfaction.
Creed wraps his foot in bandages, presumably the same foot which has only four toes (as revealed in the episode Take Your Daughter to Work Day).
Stanley's contribution to the baby shower collection is a single dollar.
When photographing Astrid, Angela calls the baby "it" instead of "she".
Creed implies that he fought at Omaha Beach. Assuming his birthdate of November 1, 1925 is correct, this would make him 18 when D-Day occurred and thus is possible.
Holly wears a different color of nail polish on each hand, in keeping with her quirky personality.
Michael's "special mark" that he was to put on Astrid when she was born was "MGS", his initials.

Connections to previous episodes

Andy calls a baby picture of himself himself "Nard Puppy", a callback to the nickname "Nard Dog" he received in the episode Local Ad.

Cultural references

Michael wanted live storks for the baby shower. In Western culture, the stork is the symbol for childbirth.
Michael asks for a golden shower, inadvertently using a slang term for urolagnia, the practice of urination for sexual pleasure.
On the phone, Pam talks about Sarah, the T.A., a common abbreviation for teaching assistant.
Jan wants to talk to Michael about Astrid's 529. A 529 plan is a way of saving money for a child's higher education. The joke is that Jan expects Michael to contribute to Astrid's college fund.
Angela's picture of Astrid in a vegetable patch echoes the style of photographer Anne Geddes.
Omaha Beach was one of the five beaches where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944. It faced the greatest amount of German resistance and suffered the most casualties.
Jan is singing Son of a Preacher Man at her baby shower.

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Ed Helms as Andy Bernard
Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
Creed Bratton (actor) as Creed Bratton
Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson
Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor
Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin
Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson
Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez
Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin
Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin
Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson (voice only, deleted scene)

Recurring Cast

Amy Ryan as Holly Flax
Calvin Tenner as Calvin

Guest Cast

Vanessa Ragland as Linda

References

↑ The Office: Baby Shower, Jennie Tan, October 17, 2008.

[1] The Office: Baby Shower, Jennie Tan, October 17, 2008.

[1]